Improvement in water-closet seats



Ni'rnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS ALEXANDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-CLOSET SEATS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis ALEXANDER, of the city and county and State of New York, have invented -a new and useful Improvement in Water-Closets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section of this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a modification of the same. Fig. et is a plane or top view of the same, partly in section. y

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a seat of a watercloset which is composed of three or more sections combined with each other and with suitable locks or fastenings in such a manner that each seat can be unlocked independent of the others, and that by unlocking the second seat, for instance, access is had to this seat alone and to neither of the others, and thereby a combination seat is obtained, which is of great value, particularly for houses which are occupied by several families, and which gives each family its own seat without requiring more than one closet.

A represents the combination seat for a water-closet, which is composed of several iiaps a b c d c, &c. These flaps are united by suitable hinges, and the upper flap or cover is solid and not perforated with ahole 5 but each of the succeeding iiaps b c d e, Sto., is perforated with a hole of the usual size and shape of the holes in the seats of water-closets.

When the flaps are all folded down, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the various holes cover teach other, and each flap is provided with a iiange or rim, f, which projects over the surrounding flaps, so that if the first flap or cover is down neither of the surrounding iiaps is exposed; if the rst flap is raised the second flap only is exposed, and so on; or, in-

stead of providing the iaps with flanges or rims, they may be provided with ribs fit, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) which catch into corresponding grooves in the next succeeding iiaps, so that if one iiap is raised only the next flap below is exposed, but the succeeding flaps are protected from being soiled by water or other impurities.

Each of the ilaps a b c d e, Ste., is provided l with its own lock or fastening g, and these fastenings are so arranged that if thel fastening of the iirst iiap is unlocked that flap only can be raised; if the fastening of the third iiap is unlocked the third flap, together with all the previous flaps, can be raised, and so on, and that each fastening controls one iiap and gives access to one seat only, and not more.

By this arrangement a combination seat is obtained which is so constructed that in a house occupied by several families each family can have their own seat without access to the seats of the other families, and a person having access to the second seat, for instance, is not able to soil or wet either of the other seats.

It is obvious thata combination seat of this construction not only saves room in a building, but it also promotes cleanliness, and in many instances it may be the means to prevent the spreading of a disease, which in many cases is effectually promoted by the present arrangement of the water-closets in crowded buildings or tenement-houses, where several families have access to one and the same water-closet and are compelled to use one and the same seat. o

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination seat as constructed of several tlaps a b o l e, Ste., with projecting iianges or ribs, in combination with suitable fastenings g, constructed and operated substantially as and for the purpose lset forth.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 12th day of March, 1866.

LOUIS ALEXANDER. 

